ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 341 



to the breast-bone. Do exactly the same on the opposite 



side. 



Now place the bird perpendicular, its breast resting on 

 your knee, with its back towards you. Separate the skin 

 from the body on each side at the vent, and never mind at 

 present the part from the vent to the root of the tail. 

 Bend the tail gently down to the back, and while your 

 finger and thumb are keeping down the detached parts of 

 the skin on each side of the vent, cut quite across, and 

 deep, till you see the back-bone, near the oil-gland at the 

 root of the tail. Sever the back-bone at the joint, and 

 then you have all the root of the tail, together with the 

 oil-gland, dissected from the body. Apply plenty of 

 cotton. 



After this, seize the end of the back bone with your 

 finger and thumb : and now you can hold up the bird 

 clear of your knee, and turn it round and round, as 

 occasion requires. While you are holding it thus, contrive, 

 with the help of your other hand and knife, by cutting and 

 shoving, to get the skin pushed up till you come to where 

 the wing joins on to the body. 



Forget not to apply cotton ; cut this joint through ; do 

 the same at the other wing, add cotton, and gently push 

 the skin over the head ; cut out the roots of the ears, 

 which lie very deep in the head, and continue skinning till 

 you reach the middle of the eye; cut the nictitating 

 membrane quite through, otherwise you would tear the 

 orbit of the eye ; and after this, nothing difficult intervenes 

 to prevent your arriving at the root of the bill. 



When this is effected, cut away the body, leaving a 

 little bit of skull, just as much as will reach to the fore- 

 part of the eye ; clean well the jaw-bones, fasten a little 

 cotton at the end of your stick, dip it into the solution, 

 and touch the skull and corresponding part of the skin, as 



